Maxine Clark - Craft Pizza: Homemade classic, Sicilian and sourdough pizza, calzone and focaccia

CRAFT
PIZZA

CRAFT
PIZZA

HOMEMADE CLASSIC, SICILIAN AND
SOURDOUGH PIZZA, CALZONE AND FOCACCIA

MAXINE CLARK

For my brother Paul (19612015), who had a Eureka moment eating a pizza in Naples.

Senior Designer Toni Kay

Commissioning Editor Stephanie Milner

Production Mai-Ling Collyer

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Publisher Cindy Richards

Food Stylist Maxine Clark and Emily Kydd

Assistant Food Stylists Lizzie Harris, Susie Plant and Jo Lee

Prop Stylist Risn Nield

Indexer Vanessa Bird

Authors Acknowledgments

My thanks go to editors Julia, Rachel, Stephanie and Cline at RPS who all worked on the book; art director and designer Steve for his keen eye and keener taste buds; photographer Richard Jung for his calmness while his studio was dusted in a cloud of flour, and for really beautiful emotive photographs. Thanks to Risn for once again finding incredible atmospheric props and backgrounds; Lizzie Harris, Susie Plant, and Jo Lee for help with mixing, kneading, patting, and shopping. Thanks also go to designer Toni Kay, photographer Mowie Kay, prop stylist and food stylist Emily Kydd for their work on the beautiful new images for this edition.

First published in 2016

This revised edition published in 2020

by Ryland Peters & Small

2021 Jockeys Fields, London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St, New York NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Some recipes in this book were previously published in
Pizza, Calzone & Focaccia by Maxine Clark in 2007.

Text Maxine Clark 2016, 2020

Design and photographs Ryland Peters & Small 2016, 2020

For full photography credits, see .

eISBN: 978-1-78879-262-2
ISBN: 978-1-78879-194-6

Printed in China

The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. US Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for.

Notes

Both British (Metric) and American (Imperial plus US cups) measurements are included in these recipes for convenience, however it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between the two within a recipe.

All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

All eggs are large (UK) or extra-large (US), unless specified as large, in which case US extra-large should be used. Uncooked or partially cooked eggs should not be served to the very old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. We recommend using an oven thermometer. If using a fan-assisted oven, adjust temperatures according to the manufacturers instructions.

When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before using.

Whenever butter is called for within these recipes, unsalted butter should be used.

CONTENTS

I was bitten by the pizza bug in the best of all places, a huge farmhouse kitchen in Tuscany. I was working with chef Alvaro Maccioni teaching Italian cookery classes, when we discovered that a huge bread or pizza oven was hidden behind a small, blackened iron door. Aristide, the old man who swept and set the huge fires in the lodge, set and lit the oven, first with faggots of fine chestnut branches to quickly warm the porous base and domed brick roof, changing to metre-long, thinnish logs of seasoned hardwood to sustain the heat and create a bed of wood coals over the base. After a few hours it was ready. The live coals were swept to one side in a pile, the base or sole of the oven swept clean with a wet brush and another log or two placed on top of the coals to maintain the heat.

During this time, we had mixed and energetically kneaded dough, shaped it into balls and set them on a huge wooden tray, dusting the tops copiously with flour. The dough rose easily on that chilly October day, as the heat from the now roaring fire-pit of the oven was tremendous. The balls rose and cracked their floury caps. These were upturned and patted or rolled out, toppings added and, in turn, guided by Alvaro or twinkly-eyed Aristide, everyone slipped their pizza onto the pala or pizza peel and shot it into the oven. Five minutes later we were munching on what was voted the best pizza in the world and sipping ice-cold beer.

Since then, I have fired up different sizes and types of ovens both at home and in Italy, and made countless pizzas, learning more with every dough made and every pizza patted. I have tried to make the recipes in this book home-oven friendly, as I am well aware that most people will not have a wood-fired oven or indeed the time required to fire it up. Good pizza can be made at home, as long as the dough is soft and pillowy, the oven is hot and theres a heavy baking sheet or bakestone inside. The taste of the wood smoke wont be there, but the pizza will bake with a nice chewy crust. Most importantly, the ingredients must be the best and freshest theres no room for kitchen leftovers.

Pizza is said to have originated on the streets of Naples, to feed and fill ordinary working people cheaply. Its roots are distinctly southern Italian and pizza is considered a food of the city. Pizza alla Napoletana is always open pizza (never filled, folded and baked). However, the way to eat pizza in the street is to fold it in quarters, hold it in a napkin and munch it like a sandwich. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana lays down strict rules for the making and cooking of pizza in order to be able to sell it as Pizza Napoletana. Little stuffed and deep-fried